Plate warmer



March 25, 1952 v. KOBLER ET A1. 2,590,418

PLATE WARMER Filed Sept. 14, 1950 VILTOR Hky (mi) WEMER HOWER Mmmmmgmd 9mm Hmmm) Patented Mar. 25, 1952 PLATE WARMER Victor Kohler and Werner Kohler, Zurich, Switzerland, assignors to Kohler & Co., Zurich,

Switzerland Application September 14, 1950, Serial No. 184,814 In Switzerland September 22, 1949 6 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to plate warmers comprising candle seats that are arranged in a container having a cover plate provided with passages for the candle heat to pass through.

With the plate warmers, nowadays in vogue, particularly, the lighting of the candles is often somewhat dicult, due to the candles being disposed at the bottom of a relatively deep container, so that the lightin-g of the candles by means of matches is hampered.

With a view to eliminating this drawback, in the plate warmer, according to the present invention, th-e candle seats can be raised, by means of a manually operable hoisting device, close to the passages in the -cover plate, in order to improve the access to the candle seats.

By this means, the cumbersome inserting ci the burning matches into the container, which may give rise to setting afire adjacent objects, is done away with. In the raised position of the candle seats, the lighting as well as the extinguishing of the candles can be easily effected even when the cover plate is set in place.

Hereinafter the object of the invention is explained, in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a lrst example.

Fig. 2 shows a detail of Fig. 1 with the candle seats fixed in position.

Fig. 3 shows a top plan view of the plate warmer of Fig. 1 with the cover plate removed.

Fig. 4 shows a section on the line IV-IV in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows a section similar to Fig. 4 with a candle seat in its raised position.

Fig. 6 shows a longitudinal section of a second example, and v Fig. 7 shows a longitudinal section through a modification of the invention in a manner similar to Fig. 2.

As shown in the drawings, the plate warmer is provided with a container I on the bottom of which candle seats in the 4form of sockets 2 surrounded by ribs 3 of annular form are arranged. In these sockets 2, candles 4 are inserted in a known manner. On an offset circumferential flange of the container I, a removable cover plate 6 provided with one or more circular passages 5, in the form of perforations, is seated. For the reception of a dish for serving food the cover plate 6 is provided with longitudinal ribs l, which extend on both sides of the perforations 5, approximately throughout the length of the cover plate 6.

In the example of the plate warmer, as shown in Figs. 1 to 5the hoisting device is provided with a rocking bar 8 which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container I and mounted in the side Walls of the latter. This bar projects from the container I at both ends thereof and carries at each of said ends a turn-button 9. Instead of turn-buttons levers may be provided. The rocking bar 8 carries intermediate of its end portions two spaced swing arms I0 forming with portions of the bar two stirrups that are securely connected to the bar laterally of the longitudinal axis of the container and above the middle of the depth of the latter. The end portion of each arm I0 is bent up into a stud so that the studs on the pairs of arms forming the individual stirrups point towards each other and extend parallel to the bar 8. These pairs of cooperating studs serve as pivots for supporting, by means of a bead or flange on the respective sockets 2, supporting rings I I. This construction permits of easily removing the candle sockets, for example, for cleaning purposes. One of the end portions of the bar 8 projecting out of the container I is surrounded by a coiled spring I2 which abuts at one of its ends against the wall of the container and at the other against the turn-button 9. By means of the spring I2 the rocking bar 8 is retained in its normal axial position, i. e., in the lower or upper end position. Close to one of the side walls of the container I, to the rocking bar 8 a further swing arm I3 is connected so as to lie in the plane of the swing arms I0 of said stirrups,'the end portion of said arm being bent in parallelism with the bar 8 in an outward direction relative to the container. This end portion serves for cooperation with a spring plate I4 acting as a checking device. This plate is connected at the lower end portion thereof by a screw I5 to the container I and supported by the aforesaid inner offset of the circumferential iiange of the container by means of its severally oiiset upper end portion, where the spring plate is secured by the closed cover plate E.

The operation of the described plate warmer is as follows. Under the assumption that the individual parts are in their positions, as shown in Fig. l, the lighting or extinguishing of the candles 4 is eased when the rocking bar 8 is rocked, by means of one or both turn-buttons 9. in such manner, that the swing arms I 0 and, consequently, the candle sockets 2 are rocked upwardly into the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

While this ro-cking movement of the candle sockets 2 toward the perforations 5 continues, said end portion of the arm I3 slides over the inner side of the spring-plate I4, whereby the latter shifts towards the adjacent wall of the container.

After the candle sockets have been rocked into their upper end positions, the end portion of the arm I3 engages with an offset or shoulder I6 on the spring-plate I4, thereby arresting the bar 8 from rotating. With this arrangement the upper edges of the candle sockets 2, in their upper positions, 4are approximately flush with the cover plate so that ample access is provided to the candles 4 by way of the perforations 5 in the cover plate After the candles have been lit or extinguished, whatever the case may be, the rocking bar 3 is axially shifted against the action of the spring I2 until the end portion of the arm I3 is disengaged from the offset I 6 -of the springplate I 4 to such an extent that the candle sockets 2 can be rocked back into their initial positions between the ribs 3. By effect of the rotatable bearing arrangement between the supporting rings Il on the end portions of the relevant arms I0, the axis of the candle sockets 2 remains vertical in each position of the latter.

Fig. '7 of the drawings shows a construction in which the sprin-g plate I4 as shown, as for example, in Fig. 2 is omitted. In place of such a spring plate the inner surface of the front wall of the container is inclined inwardly so that it has substantially the same eiect as the spring plate in th-e other embodiments.

Instead of using a spring-plate Iii, an appropriate spring arm may be employed which is adapted to shift into a corresponding depression in the wall of the container. Alternatively, the spring i2 can be adapted to force the end of the arm I3 into correspondingly depressed wall portions so as to hold the rocking bar in either the lower or upper end position. Further, two or more candle sockets may he provided which can be rocked simultaneously by means of a single rocking bar 3. n

Fig. 6 shows a further exemplication in which, in the same manner as explained in the example just above, two candle sockets 2 can be hoisted independently of each other by a separate rocking bar 8. For th-is purpose the two rocking bars `8 can be mounted in a support I1 with their inner ends ,in the middle part of the container I, a snring I 2 being provided on each end of said bars 8', which .ends project from the container and bear the buttons S. Furthermore, on each rocking bar 8 an arm I3 is secured, the ends of said arms cooperating with a spring-plate I4. Otherwise, the manipulation of this plate warmer is like that of the rst example.

We claim:

1. In a candle heated plate warmer, comprising candle sockets, a container surrounding said sockets, a cover plate atthe top of said container, said cover plate having openings therethrough, a hoisting device, for hoisting said sockets into said openings so that the upper edge ofthe sockets is approximately ush with the upper side of the cover plate, a checking device for arresting the candle sockets -i-n raised positions thereof, and at least one spring-plate provided in said checking device for cooperation With a part of the hoisting device.

2. In a candle heated plate warmer, comprising -candle sockets, a container surrounding said sockets, a cover plate at the top of said container, said cover plate having openings therethrough, a hoisting device for hoisting said sockets towards said openings, 4and supporting rings arranged on said hoisting device, each for attaching a socket thereto so that the latter can be easily removed for cleaning purposes.

.-3. In a candle heated plate warmer, comprising candle sockets, a container surrounding said sockets, a cover plate at the top of said container, said cover plate having openings therethrough, a rocking bar operated hoisting device for hoisting said sockets into said openings so that the upper edge of the sockets is approximately iiush with the -upper side of the cover plate, at least, 01.1.6.

rocking bar mounted in said container and provided With socket-receiving pairs of swing arms, a checking device for arresting the candle sockets in raised positions thereof, and at least one spring 4plate provided in said checking device for cooperation with a part of the hoisting device.

4. In a candle heated plate warmer, comprising candle sockets, a container surrounding said sockets, a, cover plate at the top of said container, said cover plate having openings therethrough, a rocking bar operated hoisting device for hoisting said vsockets, into said openings so that the upper edge of the sockets is approximately flush with the upper side of the cover plate, a single rocking bar mounted in the ends of the container and having its ends extended out of said container, said bar through said extended ends being operable for hoisting the candle sockets simultaneously, a checking device for arresting the candle sockets in raised positions thereof, and at least Aone spring-plate provided in said checking device for cooperation with a part of the hoisting device.

5. In a candle heated plate warmer, the provision of two candle sockets, a container surrounding said sockets, a cover plate at the top of said container, said cover plate having openings therethrough, a rocking bar operated hoisting device, for hoisting said sockets into said openings so that the upper edge of the sockets is approximately flush with the upper side of the cover plate, two rocking bars mounted in the container and having the ends thereof extended out of said container and operable to rock said bars for hoisting said candle sockets independently of each other, a checking device for arresting the candle sockets in raised positions thereof and at least one spring-plate provided in said checking device for cooperation with a part of the hoisting device.

6. In a candle heated plate warmer, comprising candle sockets, a container surrounding said sockets, a cover plate at the top of said container, said cover plate having openings therethrough, a rocking bar operated hoisting device, for hoisting said sockets into said openings so that the upper edge of the socketsI is approximately iiush with the upper side of the cover plate, said rocking bar mounted in said container to permit ci axial movement of said bar and provided with a socket-receiving pair of swing arms, a checking device for arresting the candle sockets in raised positions thereof, a spring acting against said rocking bar in the axial direction of the latter. and means for releasing said spring action when said lcl'lecking device is to be rendered ineffective.

` VICTOR KOBLER.

WERNER KOBLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le v,of `this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 511,160` Price Dec. 19, 1593 1,522,107 Deming Jan. 6, 1925 2,321,703' Rivard June 15, 1943 2,371,410 Rickenbacher Mar. 13, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 115,899 Germany Dec. 17, 445,304 Great Britain Apr. 7, 1936 .597,763 Qreatlritain Feb. 3, 1948 

